Thrifting Haul: Sand Dollars & Sweaters

Every year, my personal style shifts from the sleek, colorful, vintage-inspired silhouettes of the summer to neutral tones that maximize coziness–in fact, by the end of November I’ve usually morphed into a being wrapped in countless layers of knitwear. With the warm autumn we’ve been experiencing lately, though, I’ve tried to delay my sweater-covered transformation as much as possible, and have been delighting in every opportunity to wear lighter clothes.

A search for winter wardrobe necessities, however, is one of the best excuses to go thrifting. Hey, brand-new sweaters are extremely expensive! I’m lucky to live in a place where the thrift stores often teem with high-quality items that have been gently used (if at all)–and with a keen eye and a lot of patience, it’s possible to find some very unusual, unique pieces while still participating in the reuse and recycling of perfectly good items.

I absolutely love the little belt detail on this sweater–I’m usually not fond of baggy knitwear (though if I’m spending the day reading instead of going to work, I often cuddle up in an oversized sweatshirt!) so I appreciate the way in which this buckle gives the sweater shape.

I couldn’t believe my luck when I saw this sand dollar necklace tangled in the bottom of the clearance jewelry bin! During my trip to Maine in May, I found a good number of actual sand dollars on the beach, and I’ve been fascinated by their fragile beauty ever since.

Keep an eye out for this necklace’s starring role in an upcoming outfit post as the perfect mermaid-like accessory for my trip back home to Hawai’i: while the sweater will keep me warm up until I board the plane!